Back to Summer Bay
by agentba1316
Summary: Joey returns. Will she ever find home after being lost for so long? Will she discover that home is where the heart is? and is her heart still with Charlie?
1. Back to Summer Bay

Joey returns. Will she ever find home after being lost for so long?

Will she discover that home is where the heart is? and is her heart still with Charlie?

I'm an American who doesn't follow the show, but fell in love with CJ after seeing a fanvid with a song I love. Please forgive me if my potrayal of other characters and anything Australian suck lol oh n I hope you all won't mind if I take certain artistic liberties with characters and the whole storyline

Ring ring ring...

Joey awoke with the shrill sound in her ear. She exhaled, letting out a sleepy grunt, and felt around in the darkness for, first the nightstand, then her phone.

"hello?" Joey mumbled, placing the device lazily on one cheek and burying the other back in her pillow.

A deep frown settled on her face. "what?" she asked as she swung her legs out of bed to bring herself to a sitting position, "when?" she ontinued with a trembling voice. She exhaled heavily at the answer, dropping her head in her free hand.

"thank you," she said absent-mindedly before hanging up.

Joey's thoughts were interrupted by a stirring from behind. "what's the matter?"

Joey turned her head slightly towards the voice after feeling a hand snake over her shoulder to rest on her chest. "it's my brother," She felt the lenght of the woman's body press against her back and felt the woman's head land on her shoulder "I didn't know you have a brother..."

"I..." Joey forced out, "I HAD a brother..." she closed her eyes from the ache in her chest; from the loss of her brother... And what she knows she now has to do.

"I have to go back to Summer Bay."

* * *

Charlie was sitting at her desk finishing up the last of her reports, when she heard a knock at her door. She glanced at the clock; 4:43.

Bloody hell! She thought, as she was hoping to get home quickly.

"come in..."

"the last of 'em today, Charlie,"

"thanks," Charlie responded, not even looking up from her work station. She grabbed the first file and quickly flipped through it to make sure all the necessary administrative forms were present and signed her name at the bottom of the release page.

Doing the same thing to the next ones, she absent-mindedly held out the Manila folders in the air to be grabbed by the still unknown coworker. By the fourth, she was becoming more impatient when the next file caught her by surprise.

Victim Name: Brett Collins

Joey's brother... She thought. She scanned the files, disbelief evident on her face. "why didn't this cross my desk?" she asked finally looking up to address the young deputy.

"Collins? It was an open and shut case... He was intoxicated out in the water at night... The boat hit the dock... Head injury as declared by the paramedics who responded."

Charlie resumed reading, looking for something specific. Her frown deepened when there on page three:

Next of kin: Joey Collins

Relationship: sister

Action: contacted

Date: December 3rd 2010

Time: 2:37 am

Additional information: the next of kin has been notified of the incident via telephone 3 hours after time of death.

5 days ago... Charlie thought. She flipped to the next page.

Updated report: Collin's personal belongings remains in lock-up. As courtesy, will be delivered to next of kin, Joey Collins at place of residence.

3485 Northshore Dr.

At the last bit of information Charlie sprang to her feet, grabbed her jacket and ran out the door, not hearing the deputy's plea for her signature.


	2. Friends?

Please review so I know whether or not to continue! =]

Joey stood in the living room, shrugging her sweater off her shoulders. She had been observing the now lonely rooms of the house. A place that once was filled with laughter and fond moments of love and family. When she had love and family.

Now it was littered with pizza boxes and beer bottles. Of dirty dishes and unthrown trash. Old magazines and dirty clothes thrown about the floor, practically covering every square inch of the room. Covering every inch of her memories. Joey threw her sweater on an empty part of the sofa.

What happened Brett?... It's like you just... Gave up... She thought.

Joey sighed in defeat and finally gave in to the task at hand. She had just finished removing all the trash in the living room, when she heard the doorbell. She wondered who it was as she attempted to make her way over the obstacle course to the door, kicking away anything that got in her way.

Joey placed a hand on the doorknob and swung it open to find a familiar figure at her doorstep.

* * *

Charlie regretted her rash decision the moment the door opened. There was Joey, better than she had imagined she would be. With a vintage black and white Beatles tee, black and grey washed skinny jeans and black converse hi tops... And all she could muster was a weak "Hello..." Charlie felt electricity run through her the moment their eyes met.

"Hello..." Joey replied, breaking eye contact.

Now she watched as the other woman shifted her gaze and her weight.

She watched as Joey lifted her hands to tuck the auburn strands of hair revolting against her ponytail behind her ears.

Charlie recalled the moments on the boat and couldn't help but feel the swell in her chest. But this time, the other woman would not reach out. Would not gently take her hands in hers as if moving too soon would shatter the world.

"How are you?" Charlie asks, trying her best to keep it together, her heart beating hard in her chest.

"Hanging in there..." Joey replied, now hugging herself lightly with one arm.

Charlie read the unease in the woman's posture and couldn't help but look away, doing her best to mask the pain she felt.

* * *

Joey exhaled and rolled her eyes at herself. She knew that this didn't have to be hard or awkward for her and the other woman, but her instincts of self-preservation was causing this uneasy riff.

"Would you like to come in?" Joey asked, determined to be pleasant.

After all, Charlie had made the effort, and what happened between them happened such a long time ago...

Joey moved to let the woman pass, and closed the door softly behind her.

"what happened here?" Charlie faced Joey, and rescanned the room. "

Joey, had I known that Brett was living like this..." She continued.

"No..." Joey said cutting her off. "Brett wasn't your responsibility..." He was mine... She thought to herself.

They stood there, both unsure of what to say next for moments that felt like eternity. Joey felt her heart race as their gazes locked.

Unable to look away, she watched as Charlie proceeded to walk slowly towards her. Watched as she halted mere inches from her body. The scent of the woman in every breath she took. Watched as a soft smile formed on the other woman's lips as her gaze traveled downwards and her hand reached out.

Joey felt the heat of Charlie's fingertips even before they landed softly on hers and felt as they settled to grip the unused trash bag that she had been holding.

* * *

Charlie didn't mean for it to happen. But there it was... It was a force stronger than her mind that pulled her towards the other woman.

To feel her skin and be connected. With her reaching towards the bag that Joey had been absent-mindedly holding, her index and ring finger landing on top of Joey's, she looked back up at the woman and said sincerely "You shouldn't have to do this alone... I want to help."

With that, she felt the other woman loosen her grip and shyly pull back. Charlie turned to begin cleaning, hiding her own shame and giddiness of what happened... but not before she spied Joey's pinkening complexion.


End file.
